Forever Is A Long Time
by FastForward
Summary: Prize fic for second place in the GenRai Contest on DA. Genma admits to Raidou that he's gay and loves him, but some things don't work out the way we hope. Oneshot


**A.N: Prize for the secondplace winner in the GenRai contest on DA, puck off. Genma and Raidou, character death. **

**Disclaimer: Genma lives in my closet, and no matter how hard I try to make him leave, he won't return to K. Masashi.

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Forever Is a Long Time.

Namiashi Raidou whistled to himself as he walked towards the mission room, pushing open the wooden door and smiling at Umino Iruka, who smiled back upon seeing him. The scarred Jounin walked up to the desk and handed in his mission report.

"Thanks, Raidou." Iruka took is and scanned it over quickly before dropping it into another pile. "Would you mind telling your best friend to try and get his in on time?"

"Sure, after I help Kakashi burn all his _Icha Icha_ books." Raidou gave the Chuunin a look, causing him to laugh and rub at the scar across his nose, feeling embarrassed.

"Right, of course. Genma and time constraints. They don't exist."

"Genma and speed do, though!" They both turned to the door where Shiranui Genma stood. He then bounced towards the table, dropping a torn piece of paper with coffee stains in front of Iruka. The Chuunin crinkled his nose in distaste but took it anyway. At least it was on time.

"Thanks." Iruka wasn't sure whether the Jounin deserved it, considering what he'd been given, but with Genma, this was actually pretty tame.

"Come on, Raidou! Let's go eat lunch!" Genma grabbed the Jounin's arm, dragging him towards the door. The scarred Jounin waved at Iruka quickly before he was pulled out of sight, the other man's senbon twitching excitedly between his lips.

Raidou just sighed and allowed himself to be brought wherever Genma pleased, ending up in a tea house where the long-haired man ordered two servings of Sashimi before Raidou could even say anything.

"You seem a little—tamer than usual." Raidou commented.

"What? Me?" Genma asked, his senbon flicking up and down. "No, I'm fine."

"No, you're not." Raidou insisted. "You're usually a lot more excited than this. You'd be drumming on the table if you were fine, _and_ you would have ordered more than just Sashimi for yourself. What's wrong?" Raidou sipped at his green tea. "You know you can tell me anything. You're my best friend, we've been through a lot together."

"I'm telling you, nothing is wrong."

"It's a woman, isn't it?" Raidou asked.

Genma blushed a deep red at this, crossing his arms and lowering his head, as if it would hide the pink in his cheeks. The senbon had frozen between his lips, as well. That just proved to Raidou that this was about some woman that Genma was in love with.

"Who is she?" he inquired as the waitress returned with their Sashimi. He thanked her, Genma just grunting. The scarred Jounin repeated his question.

"You're wrong." Genma insisted. "This has nothing to do with a woman." He took his senbon from his mouth and stabbed one of the Sashimi with it, picking it up, only for it to slide down the metal and back onto the plate. Raidou suspected Genma hadn't been attempting to eat it when the other went back to attack the fish some more with his favourite weapon.

"Of course it does." Raidou elegantly picked up his chopsticks and proceeded to slowly eat his meal. "You wouldn't have blushed and gotten all embarrassed if it hadn't been." The man turned to look at the waitress, having noticed that Genma had only calmed down when they'd entered the tea house. "Is it the waitress?"

"_No_!" Genma exclaimed, almost horrified. He then blushed again, lowering his head to attack his food once more.

"Well, then, who is it?"

Genma stabbed at the fish once more and left the senbon there, retreating his hand. He folded them together and pressed them against his mouth, his eyes locked on the tip of the senbon.

"Raidou, we've been friends for a long time, right?"

"Since the academy, I think." the man agreed, chewing on a piece of tuna.

"This is the only reason I can tell you this." Genma took a deep breath, his eyes still on the senbon. "I think—Well, actually, I _know_ that I'm..." he trailed off, hesitating.

"You're what?"

"I'm—gay." he admitted, avoiding Raidou's eye.

"Oh. There's nothing wrong with that." the scarred Jounin admitted with a kind smile. Gay or not, Genma was still his best friend, and always would be. "How long have you known?"

"A while." the long-haired Jounin whispered. "About five or six years."

"Whoa!" Raidou laughed. "You should have told me, Genma. You should've known I wouldn't care." He shook his head, taking a sip of his tea before taking another piece of Sashimi. Once he was chewing on it, he pointed his chopsticks at the still immobile Genma. "I get it, you're in love with a guy, right?" Genma swallowed hard, a new blush creeping up his cheeks. Raidou laughed again, pleased with his deduction skills. "Does he know? Who is he?" Raidou asked.

Genma's eyes slowly rose to lock with his as the scarred Jounin chewed. Raidou was waiting for him to talk until it suddenly hit him why Genma was looking at him like that. The chewing slowed down until it finally stopped, and the two of them were just staring at one another in silence.

Raidou finally swallowed before wiping his mouth, trying to stall so he could figure out what he wanted to say. "That's awkward." The Jounin cursed internally. _Shit! Use brain, __**then**__ mouth, idiot!_

"Sorry." Genma whispered, looking away from Raidou. "I know you're not—and I tried to stop—we've just known each other for so long and you're so important to me..." Genma pulled his hitai-ate off and ran his hand through his hair before untying the knot. "I shouldn't have said anything, sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." Raidou sighed. "That didn't come out right. You're still my best friend, it's just—I can't _see _you like... well, like..."

"Like _that_?" Genma offered.

"Yeah." The scarred Jounin winced. "I'm really sorry, Genma. You'll find someone that'll make you happy one day, it's just—it's not me."

"Right." Genma whispered, playing with the edges of his hitai-ate before pulling it back on. "I'm gonna go. I'll see you later."

The Jounin stood, dropping money on the table, and left before Raidou even had time to say anything. He sighed, rubbing his face as he sat there by himself. His eyes fell on the senbon that Genma had left stabbed into a piece of salmon. He felt terrible, but he couldn't lie to Genma. It wouldn't be fair.

They were best friends, that would have to do.

* * *

Raidou leapt through the trees before jumping to the ground and pressing himself back against the trunk, Genma landing beside him and doing the same on an adjacent tree. Both of their chests were rising and falling quickly, but they forced themselves not to pant. That would give away their positions.

The scarred Jounin was holding a scroll tightly in one hand, knowing that was the reason they were being chased. Well, of course it was, since they had just stolen it from Snow. The two listened closely, only able to hear about two or three pursuers. It made sense. They'd probably sent their fastest men after the two Konoha shinobi, and would send reinforcements after they got a better team together.

Raidou looked over at Genma. The brunette looked exhausted, but he flicked his senbon and nodded his head in the direction of Konoha, a suggestion to keep going. Raidou nodded. They couldn't stay where they were for long.

The two leapt back into the trees and hurried back towards the border. If they got to the border, they'd be safer, because they knew the terrain better than the Snow shinobi did, anyway. All they had to do was reach the border.

"Raidou!" The scarred Jounin dodged, a kunai just barely missing his head. The two shinobi jumped to the ground. Genma's hand covering a wound on his left upper arm, glaring at two Snow shinobi, who'd landed in front of them.

Raidou's eyes scanned the area. He knew there was a third one, but where, was the question.

"Give us the scroll." He looked back at the two in front of them, one holding his hand out towards Raidou.

"You stole it from us, we just stole it back." Genma said with a smirk, his senbon twitching slightly.

"That document belongs to us. You are here without authorization. Return the scroll and proceed back towards the border before we are forced to eliminate you."

_Tch, they'll kill us either way,_ Genma thought, almost rolling his eyes, but he knew better. This wasn't the time to be careless.

Movement flashed to the left and Genma's head snapped in that direction. "Raidou, watch out!" He lunged towards his best friend, pushing the weary shinobi out of the way and went to pull out a kunai to block the blade of a sword. He was too slow, and the metal bit into his flesh at his right hip, slicing upwards easily to his left shoulder.

"Genma!" Raidou hollered.

He knew he didn't have time to focus on his friend. He had other things to worry about. He pulled two shuriken out from his pouch, throwing them at the two Snow shinobi who'd charged him before jumping back and sticking to the trunk of a tree with chakra. He ran up it and flipped backwards when one of the shinobi chased him up. He pulled a kunai out, flipping it between his fingers as he flew through the air. Once he was able to aim, he threw it, the kunai slamming into the shinobi's head. He fell to the ground, dead.

Raidou ducked a hit from the second shinobi who'd come at him, flipping backwards before quickly making a seal. _"Katon: Housenka no Jutsu!"_(1) Fire shot from his mouth, the Snow shinobi jumping out of the way.

The scarred man felt something fly by his face before he heard screaming and turned. The shinobi who'd slashed at Genma's chest had snuck up behind him, and now had a senbon in the eye. Genma had saved his life for the second time in less than five minutes.

Raidou quickly spun with another kunai out, slashing the shinobi's throat and turning back to the one he'd originally been fighting, flipping over a pair of thrown kunai before throwing his own. They hit a tree, the shinobi hidden behind it, and Raidou cursed. He grabbed the sword of the fallen shinobi and ran to the tree, swinging the sword at the enemy as he reached the other side.

The man moved quickly, only getting a stab in the shoulder before rolling out of the way and getting back to his feet. Raidou charged at him again, swinging the sword, and as the shinobi brought up a kunai to block it, Raidou brought his other hand up under the sword and plunged a kunai into the shinobi's heart.

He wasted no time after that, running to grab the scroll he'd dropped, and then rushed to Genma's side.

"Genma! Genma, come on, we have to go!" He fell to his knees beside his best friend and shook him, wincing at the wound. "Genma, come on! You were awake a second ago to save my life, come on!"

The brunette's eyes opened slowly, a glazed-over look in them before they cleared slightly. He coughed, and blood flew onto his lips, some droplets staining the front of Raidou's vest. The scarred man knew how bad the wound was, but he didn't want to accept it.

"Raidou..." Genma coughed again. "I'm—Raidou, I can't go home with you..."

"Fuck you, Genma!" Raidou hollered angrily. "You're going to get your ass up and get back to Konoha with me, and you'll get fixed up and then we'll be joking about this tomorrow, like always!"

"I'm sorry..." A tear fell from the corner of Genma's eyes. "I'm not... I can't..." he wheezed out, and then coughed violently again. The ground around them was beginning to stain with Genma's blood. He turned pleading eyes to Raidou. "Please..." Blood dribbled down Genma's chin as his eyes started glazing over again. "Please, Raidou..."

His best friend knew what Genma wanted him to do, but he didn't know if he could.

"Please..."

"I–I love you, Genma." Raidou sobbed as he hugged the other Jounin against him. Genma died in his arms.

And the thing that hurt the most—was that both Raidou and Genma knew he hadn't meant what he'd said.

Being best friends is the most wonderful feeling in the world. Being best friends forever—well...

Forever is a long time.

**END.**

(1) Mythical Fire Flower Technique


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